Ancient myths often sound like male adventures, but it is the female characters that set the pace and drama. In this lecture, we will analyze goddesses, amazons, nymphs, and queens as archetypes-from protectors to avengers-and see how these plots reflected the morals and fears of their time. There will be many images, comparisons, and sharp details. In ancient traditions, women are almost never in the background. They set the rules of the game: guarding the secrets of Olympus, raising armies, controlling the sea and the wind, arguing with fate. This lecture will discuss why female figures in Greek mythology are so diverse and why they are still recognized at a glance. Maria Nazarova will gather a whole range of images-from goddesses and nymphs to queens and monsters-and show how they form a system of archetypes. In one plot, a mother-heroine coexists with an avenger, a warrior with a traitor, an ideal of beauty with a terrifying force of nature. Behind each type stands a set of gestures, motives, and prohibitions that reflect the structure of society, the role of power, and notions of freedom. Special attention will be paid to local cycles of myths-there, characters are revealed particularly sharply. Some drive chariots and command the celestial bodies, some become judges for heroes, and some stand between man and the elements. These stories help to see how the ancients explained the order of the world, and why the "feminine" in myths sometimes offers protection and sometimes demands payment. The conversation will be useful for those who love mythology, art history, and archaeology, as well as for those who read contemporary books and watch films where ancient motifs resurface again and again. You will learn to distinguish where the roots of familiar plots grow from and understand why amazons often become symbols of choice, while nymphs symbolize elusive independence. The finale of the lecture will be practical. You will create your own "map of heroines": which roles support, which frighten, and which help to speak about strength and vulnerability without loud slogans. After the meeting, myths will cease to be a collection of names-they will become a tool for reading cultures.